Pencil holder for telephone instruments



June 16, R. KIMBALL PENCIL HOLDER FOR TELEPHONE INSTRUMENTS Filed March 3, 1950 II'IIIYYI E I WMHMIMHMMM IN VEN TOR. HMBALL,

E4 YMOND ATTORNEY.

Patented June 16, 1953 PENCIL HOLDER FOR TELEPHONE INSTRUMENTS Raymond Kimball, Pasadena, Calif., assignor to Christine E. Perry, Pasadena, Calif.

"Application March a, 1950, Serial No. 147,392

. 1 This invention relates to a device for holding a pencil on the base of a: telephone instrument. It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character that may be simply and easily installed. It is another object to provide-a device of this character in which the pencil is securely held in place on the base, and yet which is so arranged 3 Claims. (01. 24-81) that substantial freedom of use of the pencil is permitted, as by an anchoring flexible string or chain. This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made in detail, illustrating the general" principles "of theyinventionf but it is to'be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scopeof this invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a pictorial View of a pencil holder incorporating the invention installed on a telephone;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the pencil holder;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken along a plane corresponding to line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4; is a sectional view, taken along a plane corresponding to line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the pencil holder.

The pencil holder includes a flat sheet metal body I adapted to be held against a side edge of the telephone instrument base 2. This sheet metal member is formed with an upper corner 3 that is adapted to fit and engage over the corresponding corner formed between the vertical wall 4 of the instrument base and the sloping wall 5. At the opposite, or lower, edge of the body I is an upwardly turned wall 6 forming a narrow recess or opening I (Fig. 5) for accommodating the lower edge of the vertical wall 4.

The lower edge of the wall 4 is resiliently gripped by the upturned edge 6, since, normally, in its free position, this wall 6 slants inwardly toward the main body I, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

Formed integrally with the body I, and at the upper edge thereof, are a plurality of clip members 8, 9, and Ill. Three of them are shown, in the present instance: the exterior clip member 9 is arced convexedly toward the front, and the end clip members 8 and II] are arced in a concave II between the clips.

manner. The pencil II is gripped between the members 8, 9, and In in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The end clips 8 and Ill engage one side of the'pencil, and the central clip 9 engages the opposite side of the pencil. The upper edges of each of the clip members turn slightly outwardly, as indicated by reference characters I2 and I3 in Fig; 3, to facilitate the insertion of the pencil The clip members thus form-a part of a unitary device substantially completely encompassing the pencil -I I, resiliently and frictionally gripping it. Alternatively, the pencil II may be passed in an axial manner between the clip members 8, 9, and I U.

The removal and installation of the pencil holder are readily accomplished. Thus, to place the-device in position (either on the front or side walls of the base 2), the lower edge of the vertical wall 4 is passed between body I and wall 6. The upper corner 3 frictionally engages the corresponding corner formed between the walls- 4 and 5. There is sufficient resilience in the structure to provide a tight grip on the base 2. A sheet of paper 20 may easily be clipped between the corner 3 and the base 4 by releasing the upper corner 3, inserting the sheet, and replacing corner 3. Thus, a telephone message may be temporarily accommodated by the device.

To remove the device, the upper corner 3 is moved forwardly off of its engaging position, and the entire device is moved downwardly to free the wall 6 from the lower edge of the wall 4.

The pencil II may be connected to the body I by the aid of a flexible element, such as a chain I4. One end of the chain I4 is anchored to body I, as by the aid of a bushing I5 passing through the body.

Bushing I5 has a flanged end which restrains it from passing through the upset edge I6 of the aperture in body I. The end element of the chain I4 is restrained by the bushing against removal therefrom. Furthermore, in order to permit ready passage of this bushing past the wall 6, the wall 6 is cut away, as indicated by the dotted line I! in Fig. 2, opposite the head of .the bushing I5.

The other end of the chain I4 carries a spring clip I8, and is joined to it by the aid of a bushing I9 of similar construction to bushing I5.

The flexible element I4 is long enough to permit ready use of the pencil.

The inventor claims:

1. In a pencil holder adapted to be resiliently attached to the base of a telephone instrument: a flat body member of resilient material having at one end a reversely extending end portion formed by a bend of the body, said end ortion forming with the body a restricted space in which an edge of said base is frictionally received, said end portion being adapted resiliently to maintain said fiat body member in engagement with a side of said base, said body at the other end having three integrally formed clips, said clips being each arcuately shaped, and extending for substantially 180 along their respective arcs, said clips being spaced longitudinally of each other, the axes of the arcuate clips being substantially aligned, and all having substantially the same radius, the end clips being opposed to the central clip such that the end clips are engageable along one side of a pencil, and the central clip is engageable along the opposite side of the pencil, at least one of the clips form.- ing a corner opposed to the said bend to engage the upper surface of the telephone base, said end portion being adapted resiliently to maintain said corner in engagement with said upper surface of said telephone base, the clips together substantially encompassing said pencil.

2. In a pencil holder adapted to be resiliently attached to the base of a telephone instrument: a flat body member of resilient material having at its lower edge an upwardly bent portion spaced from the body and in unstressed position converging toward the body, to provide a resilient friction grip for the loweredge of said base; said body at the upper dge having three integrally formed clips, said clips being each arcuately shaped and having substantially equal radii and extending about a common axis parallel to the upper edge of the body; the end clips being opposed to the central clip for engaging a pencil on opposite sides of th pencil; at least one of the clips forming a corner with the upper edge of the body and on the same side of the body as said upwardly bent portion, for engaging the upper surface of the telephone base, said upwardly bent portion upon engagement with said 4 edge of said base resiliently urging said corner into engagement with said upper surface of said telephone base.

3. In a pencil holder adapted to be resiliently attached to the base of a telephone instrument: a flat body member adapted to engage a side of said base, said member being bent at one edge to form a corner adapted to engage a corresponding corner of said base formed by a top surface of said base and said side of said base; three integrally formed arcuate spring clips extending from the bent edge and spaced therealong, said clips all extending about substantially a common axis parallel to said one edge; the end clips extending in an opposite direction to the center clips, all of the clips extending substantially 180, the end clips being engageable with one side of the pencil, and the central clip being engageable with the opposite side of the pencil; and a resilient integral extension projecting from the opposite edge and forming with the body a confined space for frictionally engaging the telephone base, and for resiliently maintaining said flat body member against said side, and for resiliently maintaining said corner of said member in engagement with said corner of said telephone base.

RAYMOND IQMBALL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES'PATENTS 

